Mice Part 7: Commercial Spaces | Rochester Pest Pro, Inc.

September 3, 2021

Mice at Work

We’re continuing our series on mice, and we’re all the way to part 7. We’ve got a lot to say about mice, because they’re a big problem in this area. Upstate New York has an amazing food culture, fertile soil for a variety of crops, and cold, wet winters that drive us inside. All this is the perfect recipe for a rodent problem. Rochester Pest Pro protects homes and businesses in Rochester neighborhoods like Pittsford, Webster, Fairport, Honeoye Falls, and more from pests like mice and the damage they cause.

We’ve talked about mice in our homes before, but what about our businesses? Businesses present unique opportunities for mice, so let’s check that out.

Why Do Mice Invade Rochester Businesses?

Commercial buildings have abundant entry and exit points.
Businesses are often shut for hours or days at a time, allowing mice to move freely.
Commercial spaces are temperature-controlled, making inclement weather a non-issue.
Businesses have extra spaces that aren’t well monitored.
There are food supplies around like coffee, creamer, and crumbs dropped in the carpet from people eating at their desks.
Commercial buildings provide ample nesting material for mice to have litter after litter of pups until there are hundreds, even thousands of mice, as many as the space can sustain.
Mice don’t live very long and leave corpses that rot or are eaten by other creatures.

Mice quickly establish “highways,” or routes they take through the building to get to nests, food sources, egress points, and more. These routes develop an oily smear on areas like baseboards from substances on the mice’s fur.

Where Do Mice Live in Businesses?

HVAC vents.
Roofs and attics
Basements and other underground spaces.
Spaces for wire bundles.
Wall voids.
Suspended ceilings.
Light fixtures.
IT rooms.
Utility closets.
Storage areas and warehouses.
Dumpsters and waste disposal areas.
Behind and inside furniture like filing cabinets.
Inside upholstery.
Break rooms and food storage/prep areas.

Effects of Mice on Rochester Businesses

Mice are a fire hazard because they chew wires.
Mouse feces can dry and get into the air.
Mice carry disease and parasites like hantavirus and tularemia.
Mice breed early and prolifically.
Mice bring other pests like fleas and ticks with them.
Mice spoil food.
Mice can make your office fail health inspections.
Mice drive customers away and create bad word of mouth.
Damage from mice makes for lost work, lost revenue, lost property, and costly repairs.

Protecting the Office

Always have a pest maintenance program in place for your workplace. The best way not to have problems with mice is a relationship with your local pest control pros and taking preventive measures such as:

Keep break rooms and kitchenettes clean. Put all food in mouse-proof containers and keep surfaces clean. Make sure that refrigerators and freezers close securely.
If people eat at their desks, make it a policy to keep desks and the floor around them free of spills and crumbs.
Keep garbage containers away from the building and have them emptied frequently.
Don’t let office trash build up.
Keep a sharp eye out for chewed furniture, oily transit marks, and mouse feces, which looks like small, dark grains of rice.

Trying to clear out a mouse infestation without professional help is pointless and can put you in harm’s way. If you’ve started noticing mice, that means there is already a problem. After diagnosing the issue, we will perform complete eradication and put down maintenance treatments that will give you cleanliness and peace of mind for months.

friends and neighbors.